A Tale of Two Soldiers
by grisabele
Summary: Centuries have passed since Sailor Moon was the soldier of justice. Her daughter, Chibiusa, has ruled Crystal Tokyo for a thousand years. She has a daughter of her own that's poised to become queen, but a deep secret and a new enemy threaten everything...
1. Prologue

**A Tale of Two Soldiers  
**

**A/N: I don't own Sailor Moon, I'm not making any money off this. Please don't sue me. kthx.**

_Centuries have passed since Sailor Moon was the soldier of justice. Her daughter, Chibiusa, has ruled Crystal Tokyo for a thousand years. The Sailor Senshi that protected Sailor Moon have all passed on, and the Asteroid Senshi are too old to fight now. The very names of the planets have changed as language has evolved, and a new set of girls hold the Sailor Crystals of the Sol System. Chibiusa has had a daughter of her own, a daughter who will soon be queen..._

Deep in the heart of the Crystal Palace, Princess Hypatia slept restlessly. Her mother, Queen Serenity II, had not been well lately. Ever since the death of King Helios, her mother's health had gone downhill. It had pained the princess to see her mother looking so pale and wan...and so _old. _Her mother's pink hair was now more white than pink, and her reddish eyes were dull. Hypatia had thought that the Ginzuishou's powers would keep her mother young and lovely even at the hour of her death.

_Will I look that old and grey after I have reigned for a thousand years? _Hypatia thought. Her mind raced again to the thought of her mother, and then to the grandmother she had never known. Hypatia knew all about her grandmother, though. Everyone in Crystal Tokyo, and, indeed, all the galaxy knew about her.

Hypatia's grandmother had been Neo-Queen Serenity, the fabled soldier of the Moon who had saved the galaxy from Chaos and brought about a lasting peace. If Hypatia recalled correctly, Neo-Queen Serenity had not even ruled for a thousand years. After her mother, Princess Lady Serenity got married to Helios, Neo-Queen Serenity handed her the Ginzuishou and departed for the Galaxy Cauldron. No one ever saw her again. She hadn't even said good-bye to her daughter.

_At least I'll be able to tell my mother good-bye, _Hypatia thought. She sat up and ran her fingers through her long, champagne-blonde hair. She was simply unable to sleep. Climbing out of bed, she wrapped herself up in her favorite mauve silk robe, and took a seat at the elegant glass doors that led to to the balcony. It was too cold to go outside now. The full moon was visible tonight. It seemed to be hovering just outside.

The moon was a comfort to Hypatia. Maybe it was because the blood of the moon flowed within her veins. Or maybe it was because the moon gave her strength. She could look at it and feel the courage of her mother, and her grandmother, and even her great-grandmother. While she gazed at the moon, she saw a small bird fly past the window. It fluttered around for a bit and perched on the balcony railing. It was a small, blue bird with a white belly and reddish orange sides. Hypatia knew that songbirds like that didn't come out at night, so what was that bird doing? It seemed to be staring at her. This made Hypatia uncomfortable. The bird tilted its head, blinked once, and flew away.

Hypatia shook her head and went back to staring at the moon. The bird was probably sick, or confused. It wasn't staring at her. _Birds don't stare at people, _she thought.

Suddenly, she heard a hard, insistent knocking on her door. She froze.

"Princess Hypatia?"

The princess didn't answer.

"Princess Hypatia?"

The voice was familiar to her. It was the voice of one of the new Senshi, but she couldn't place which one it was. She didn't know them well enough, yet. Most of them had just completed their training.

"Who is it?"

"It's Ixchel. It's important. Please answer the door."

Hypatia hurried to the door and opened it. Standing in front of her was the senshi of the planet which had once been called Venus, but now was called Turan. Ixchel was a beautiful woman with dark skin, full, sensuous lips, and big, dark brown eyes. She was elegantly dressed, maybe even overdressed, in a brown and red gown that vaguely resembled a Victorian riding gown. She wore a matching hat with a fishnet veil, and a pair of tinted glasses. Her curly, black hair was put up, except for the few strands which hung in her face. Hypatia was surprised by Ixchel's choice of dress, normally, she wore much more revealing clothing so she could show off her numerous tattoos.

"It's your mother," Ixchel said quietly, cutting off any commentary that Hypatia may have been about to make about her choice of attire. "She wants to see you."

That was all Ixchel needed to say. Hypatia pushed past her and ran down the hallway to her mother's bedroom. As she ran, memories of her mother ran through her head. She could recall a time when she was a small girl, running through this very hallway, with her mother chasing her..._playing _with her. She could clearly hear her mother's bell-like laugh, and her father's voice...

_How soon all of that disappeared! _Hypatia thought. She found herself wanting to be a child again. She wanted the certainty she had that her mother and father would always be there to look after her...

When she reached her mother's room, she pushed the double-doors open with all of her strength. They crashed against the wall, and the healer who had been tending the Queen looked up. She was a very young, very slight-looking woman with long, hunter-green hair and red eyes. She smiled slightly when she saw the princess, and walked over to her.

"Princess Hypatia." She bowed deeply.

"Lady Chiron," Hypatia said quietly, "How...how is my mother? Did she really ask for me?"

Lady Chiron nodded. "Yes. I sent Ixchel to find you because she was the only one of the Inner Senshi who could have reached you in time. I think—no, the Queen thinks, that it is almost time..." Lady Chiron's voice trailed off.

"Isn't there anything you can do for her?" Hypatia asked. Lady Chiron shook her head, and brushed some hair out of her face.

"Everything that I could possibly do for your mother has been done," she said sadly. "She has lived for over a thousand years, Princess Hypatia. The Ginzuishou's powers cannot sustain her any longer. I am truly sorry."

"I understand," Hypatia whispered. "Lady Chiron, could you leave us alone for...for this?"

"Of course," the healer said softly. She walked over to the bed. "Your Majesty, Princess Hypatia has arrived." She bowed to the Queen, then to Hypatia, and wordlessly left the room. As soon as she was gone, and the doors were closed, Hypatia approached the bed.

"Mother..." Hypatia could barely speak. Queen Serenity II looked so fragile and helpless lying there. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she struggled to hold back a sob.

"Please don't cry, Hypatia..." the Queen whispered. "This is a natural part of living. I have lived as long as the Ginzuishou has allowed...I have done my duty. I have been fortunate. I married the love of my life and had a wonderful child..." Serenity sighed deeply. "Go get the Ginzuishou from my jewel box, Hypatia."

Hypatia nodded and quickly retrieved the silver crystal. For a moment, she was mesmerized by its beauty.

"Bring it to me," Serenity said. Hypatia silently obeyed, handing her mother the crystal.

"As you know, the heir to the kingdom must inherit the Ginzuishou. Soon, all of this responsibility and power will be yours...you are my only heir, Hypatia..." For a moment, the Queen looked as though she wanted to say something, but she shook her head. "Use this power well, my darling...the galaxy is in your hands now..." With those words, the Queen laid back on the pillow, closed her eyes, and a took a deep breath...one which she did not exhale.

"Mother?" Hypatia said, cautiously reaching toward the woman, "Mother...?"

The Queen did not stir. Tears filled Hypatia's eyes as she reached for the Ginzuishou. She wasn't ready to call Lady Chiron in, yet. There was nothing the healer could do for the Queen now, anyway.

"Mother, I promise that I will be the best ruler I can, and that I will use the Ginzuishou only for the highest good..." she said as her fingers closed around the crystal. It was oddly cold. Hypatia thought that something which contained the strongest power known to the galaxy would be a little warmer. She held it up to examine it, and, without warning, the Ginzuishou flashed brightly, and of its own volition, flew from Hypatia's hands and out the open window! Hypatia ran to the window and watched it streak across the sky.

"No...no!" She slammed her fist on the windowsill. If the Ginzuishou had flown away from her, then she could not, truly, have been the heir to the Kingdom. But how could this be? Helios and Serenity had had no other children...

Sighing deeply, Hypatia turned on her heel and walked back to the bed. With every semblance of calm, she pulled the sheet over her mother's head, and called for Lady Chiron.

_I will tell only my Senshi of this. I will put off my coronation until the Ginzuishou is found! _

On the other side of Crystal Tokyo, deep in the slums, a young woman with pale blonde hair done up in a pair of Chinese-style buns sat on the roof of her apartment building, watching the stars. Or, rather, what stars she could see.

"Shizue!" called a man's voice, "Shizue! It's late. Why don't you come down now?"

"In a minute, Dad!" she called back. She sighed, and shook her head. It was aggravating, sometimes, when her father would call her. She was 21, for pete's sake. She wanted peace, and solitude. Not the hustle and bustle of the city below. Not the stress of working two jobs so she could take care of her ailing father. Stargazing on the roof offered her time to herself, something which had become scant lately.

While she watched the sky, she saw a curious white light streak across the sky. _That's awfully bright for a shooting star, _she thought. While she watched, it zig-zagged around the sky, and finally crash-landed in front of her apartment building. Shizue stared at the smoldering crater in the sidewalk before her curiosity got the better of her. She hurried down every flight of stairs in the apartment building, eager to discover just what she had seen. Part of her also hoped that another tenant wouldn't beat her to it.

Her heart was racing and she'd even worked up a sweat by the time she reached the crater. She got down on her hands and knees and peeked in.

Her jaw dropped when she saw what was in the crater. There was a silver, spherical crystal in the crater. It was beautiful. Shizue found it hard to believe that something so lovely could exist in the slums.

_How did this get here? _Shizue thought. She carefully reached into the crater and pulled the crystal out. She held it up and examined it. _You know, _she thought, _This crystal looks an awful lot like the Queen's..._

As soon as she thought that, the crystal flashed brightly and floated upward. Shizue stared up at it, then watched, mutely, as it floated back down toward her chest. She felt a sharp pain as it started sinking in, and then she fainted.


	2. Awake

**Episode One: Awake**

**A/N: Thanks to Bushtuckapenguin for your awesome C&C! I'll try to integrate the intro more into the story. And I'll try to work in the aging thing.**

"Hey. Hey, girl. Wake up."

Shizue stirred, but didn't open her eyes. She was afraid of what she might open them up to. She could still feel the cold, hard street beneath her. This was a good sign, it meant that she hadn't been taken anywhere.

_I wonder if anyone saw what happened with that stone?_

"I know you're awake. Look. I'm not going to hurt you. I can't." The voice belonged to a man. It was a very deep, soothing voice. "Come on. Open your eyes."

Shizue sighed and grudgingly opened her eyes. She quickly sat up, looking for the man who had been speaking. "Hello...?"

"Look down," said the voice. Shizue slowly lowered her gaze, and saw a small bird looking up at her. It was blue, with a white belly and reddish-orange sides. Its black eyes glittered intelligently.

"Well, hello," the bird finally said, in the deep, male voice that had been coaxing Shizue out of sleep. Shizue blinked, and stared at the bird.

"I think I need to stop drinking so much," she muttered. "I think I just heard that bluebird talk."

"I did just talk!" the bird said. It clicked its beak, mildly irritated.

"And now I'm arguing with it. Am I dreaming?" Shizue muttered.

The bird sighed, flew up into Shizue's face, and bit her on the nose before perching on a nearby powerline.

"Ouch! What the hell did you do that for?" Shizue snapped, rubbing her sore nose.

"I'm just letting you know that you're not dreaming," the bird said in a smug tone. If he hadn't had a beak, Shizue swore he'd be smiling.

"So what do you want, bird?" Shizue asked.

The bird fluffed up his feathers. "My name is Uni. I've been looking all over Crystal Tokyo for you. You see, dear girl, you are blessed, and cursed, with the ownership of the Ginzuishou--"

"No way, bird," Shizue interrupted. "First of all, Queen Serenity II is alive, and second, only the heir to the throne gets that crystal. Do I look royal to you?"

"Not in the least," Uni snapped, ruffling his feathers, "And you've got no manners either. You shut your mouth when I'm talking to you."

"Oh, now who has no manners?"

"Listen to me, or mark my words, I'll peck out your eyes!"

Shizue groaned, crossed her arms, and glared at Uni. "Continue, then, featherbrains."

"Queen Serenity II died tonight. Her daughter, Hypatia, should have received the Ginzuishou and she and I should be having this conversation now, but it went to you, instead. Why this is, I do not know. Anyway, you are blessed and cursed with the power to save worlds, girl. You are Sailor Zirna, the holder of the Ginzuishou!"

Shizue started laughing. "Oh please."

Uni groaned and clicked his beak in a way that clearly indicated exasperation. "You don't believe me."

"Well, why should I?" Shizue said.

"Touche. Well. Why do you think that crystal you picked up from that crater over there sunk into your chest?"

"Because I have consumed so much alcohol and other illicit substances in my lifetime that my brain is shot and I'm hallucinating. The whole thing with the flying crystal was a hallucination, and, shit, I'm talking to a songbird with a very deep, manly voice. You've _got _to be a figment of my imagination."

Uni shook his head and ruffled his blue feathers. "I see that there's only one way to get you to believe me."

* * *

In the deepest, darkest part of the slums, a hooded woman sat in the corner of a filthy room. Despite her surroundings, she was very clean, and her clothes were very well kept. She sat in the dark, with her hood and some stray tendrils of golden hair obscuring her face. She was surrounded by a group of young men and women. Some were filthy and poverty-stricken, some were clearly wealthy, some were somewhere in between.

"Have you been distributing anti-Royal propaganda?"

They nodded.

"Good. Make sure as many people as possible can see it. We must sow doubt in the minds of the people! We must show them that the Royals are not as they seem...for the revolution!"

"For the revolution!" exclaimed the youths.

The woman smiled serenely. "You may all leave now. Please go distribute as many flyers as you can. We must convince the people that we care more about them than the Royals do!" As the crowd dispersed, the woman's smile changed to one of malice.

_A thousand years I've waited...my power, broken by that young Queen...sealed away to rot in the dimension between dimensions. Ah, but the Queen was foolish. There were others in that place, others who made me their Queen! They helped me to break her seal, and soon, I will liberate this planet, no, this galaxy from the Moon's oppression._ She started laughing maniacally, finally doubling over while she held her stomach.

Still laughing, she snapped her fingers, transforming the filthy room around her into a crystal cavern.

"Helbindi! Come forward!"

A young man approached the hooded woman and bowed deeply. He was strikingly handsome, with a lean, lithe body, white hair that fell to his shoulders in a trendy, layered haircut, and deep, coffee-colored skin. He had high cheekbones, violet eyes that glittered with malice and thin lips, which parted into a smile.

"Lady Hela...how may I serve you?"

Hela smiled. "A thousand years ago, when I tried to free this planet from the oppressive rule of the Moon, Queen Serenity II destroyed the crystal which housed my power, the Kage no Celestite. She split it into nine pieces and sealed them away, so that no one could find them...I have done some reconnaissance, and it looks like the crystal shards are sealed away in the souls of the people of the Earth."

"So, you want me to search this planet to find these crystal shards?" Helbindi said.

"Precisely. To get the shard, use a wraith to draw out the target's soul."

"Suppose the target doesn't have a shard?"

"Well, then the wraith will get a little treat, won't it? Use any means necessary to get the shards, Helbindi. Kill anyone who stands in your way!"

Helbindi nodded.

"I will not fail you, Lady Hela!"

* * *

Back in the "more pleasant" area of the slums, Shizue was still staring skeptically at Uni.

"How exactly are you going to prove that I am Sailor Zee or whoever?"

"Like this!" Uni flew off of the powerline and began a series of aerial acrobatics which left Shizue impressed. As he finished with an elegant loop-the-loop, he flashed white and dropped a bracelet made of freshwater pearl beads. Puzzled, Shizue picked it up.

"Well, don't stare at it. Put it on."

Shizue rolled her eyes and obeyed. The bracelet was a perfect fit, and it was certainly very pretty. For a moment, she wondered how much she could pawn it for.

"Now, repeat after me: Zirna's Light, make up!"

"Zirna's Light, make up!" Involuntarily, Shizue held up her hands above her head. She felt herself spinning around, and around. There was a flash of bright white light, and when it was over, Shizue was standing in a very confident pose, with her hands on her hips. Almost at once, she broke the pose and looked down. She was wearing a gray leotard. The sides of the leotard were pale purple, and there was lighter gray piping on the whole bodice. She had a flower-shaped brooch with purple gems for petals in the center of her chest, a gray pleated skirt with purple stripes, gray, handless gloves with purple ruffles at the wrist, and a pair of gray and purple high-heeled platform boots. Catching a look at herself in a reflective window, Shizue saw that her hair had turned silver.

"Woah...what is this?" Shizue asked.

"I told you. You're Sailor Zirna," Uni explained, pausing to preen his feathers. "Look. There isn't a lot of time. A long time ago, Queen Serenity II sealed away a powerful witch, but somehow, the seal broke, and she's free! She's going to try to overtake this world. You mustn't let that happen!"

Shizue crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Okay, and how do you expect me to do that? She's some kind of uberwitch, and I'm some kind of girl superhero in an outfit that's more for decoration than combat. Seriously, Umi--"

"Uni."

"Whatever, bird. I don't stand a chance. Give this Ginzuishou to someone else. Give it back to the Royals. Let them deal with it. "

Uni groaned, and fluttered down beside Shizue. "If I could take that accursed thing away from you, I would. But the Ginzuishou chooses its holder, apparently, and this time, it wasn't a member of the Royal Family. Look, I don't want this any more than you do, but we have to start training you at once."

* * *

In the Crystal Palace, Hypatia sat motionless in front of her mirror with a blank expression on her face. She was wearing an elegant black , violet, and mauve gown with no sleeves and a long train. Her champagne blonde hair was done up in the customary odangos favored by the Moon Royals. Her hair was shorter than her mother's had been, so her odangos were shorter, too. She had decorated her hair with pearls. All in all, she was the picture of absolute melancholy.

_How could the Ginzuishou not have been mine?_ she thought. She was all too aware of the problems facing the planet lately. There was a revolutionary group called The Star's Dynasty publishing all sorts of anti-Royal propaganda. A lot of it was true, Hypatia mused, and she wondered which of her advisors was in league with them. She grew concerned again. If there were any rumors of Hypatia being illegitimate, any at all, The Star's Dynasty would have a field day. They might even be able to overthrow her.

_That musn't happen! _Hypatia slammed her fist down on her vanity. _Whatever course of action I take, it will be for the best of the planet. Whatever I must do, I will do, even if it means that my people lose faith in me for a time..._

Someone knocked.

"Enter," Hypatia said, curtly.

Ixchel entered the room and bowed deeply. She was dressed in the same gown as the night before, but she'd removed the glasses. "My Lady. I was sent to tell you that...that it's time to go to your mother's funeral." She smiled sadly. "I am so sorry for your loss, Princess. Are you all right?"

Hypatia bit her lip to hide her tears, and nodded. _I cannot cry anymore. I'm the Queen now, if only in name. I have to be strong now. For Mother. For everyone._

Ixchel, ever observant, did not stop smiling. She saw how fast Hypatia bit her lip to stop her words. "If you ever want to talk about it...well. I'll be around."

* * *

Helbindi stared hard at the crystal wall in front of him. It was a scrying crystal, one he hoped he could use to find someone who might have a shard of the Kage no Celestite hidden in his or her soul.

"Oh, Spirits of the Doh-K'alfar...show me what I want to see," he intoned. He reached out and placed his palm flat against the clear crystal. It shuddered, and filled with a gray fog. The fog swirled around malevolently until it began to take the shape of a city. Helbindi studied it closely.

"So...Crystal Tokyo is where to look...now, show me a person!"

The crystal wall shuddered again and the fog swirled around, until the image of an older man was visible. Helbindi studied his face closely and watched as the fog slowly shaped itself into a name.

"Hm...Yuu Kikuizumi, is it...?"

He took down the name in a notepad and walked to a different chamber of the crystal cave. There was a table in the center of the room with a basin full of marble-sized stone spheres. Helbindi casually picked one up.

_This one will do, I think._

_

* * *

  
_

"Can we start training tomorrow? I'm exhausted. I have to work in the morning."

"Well. I guess." Uni fluttered up onto Shizue's shoulder. The young woman pushed her hair out of her eyes and started walking back toward the apartment building.

"How do I un-transform, anyway?"


End file.
